Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Kosovo Protection Corps to become Kosovo army, says president

PRISTINA, Feb 22 (Hina) - Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said on Wednesday the Kosovo Protection Corps would soon be transformed into the Kosovo army, which he discussed today with the Corps commander, General Agim Qeku.

Sejdiu and Qeku said they expected Kosovo to be independent soon and in this context considered the possibility of transforming the Protection Corps into the army of independent Kosovo, a press release said.

32 comments:

Become neutral (as switzerland) and spend that money on infrastructure and necessary instituions. Or say the economy! The milatary only creates problems and doesn't solve a darn thing. If ppl want to play a game of who's cock is bigger, don't do it militarily, but use your minds and imagine its big! Brain power always overcomes might!

Ppl need a job, food, public institutions, services, etc.. they don't need the govt to spend money on military/weapons.

The current police force can keep peace and order just fine. Have border checkpoints and cut crime and black market activities. Govt needs to tax things to raise money. Stop corruption, and elect ppl that are qualified for the position. Not bc they are famous or liked by the ppl.

Popularity doesn't mean squat when you can't make the economy grow, get an individual a job, provide him services and improve on those services on a yearly basis, and protect his liberties and freedoms.

To the ppl of Kosovo/a, would you rather have a job to prosper or have a great army?

when I have terrorist on the north, I'd make sure to have nuclear weapons. We've seen what inhumanities serbs are capable of, from starting world wars, to massacring people and genocide.

Kristian, we need an army. These are the people that crossed the Albanian border and placed mines. If we don't you can expect them to try to start the boarder, they've already set their mind to "claim independence unconstitutional" and maybe even sending military to intervene.

These are the people that massacred 52 members of Jashari family. The people that put massacred Kosovars in red cross trucks (to ship to serbia) The people that tried to burn my house and burned my mosque... I don't trust them 1 bit.

Yeah, let's ditch the army idea. We're only surrounded by enemies and potential occupiers, by virtue of past experience, on all angles. Serbia will eat an unarmed Kosova within hours, wake up, we're no Switzerland.

We don't need an army. We need a professional national guard like that of Swiss of maximum 8.000people. After the Independence Serbs won't bother us anymore and we will always have the Aviano air base there if they do! We need to have exellent relations with out allies and a strong police force. We will be fine brothers and sisters.

Just think, Kosova will be a State wow.....can u imagine guys ......100 years of waiting.....How much we love you Kosova e Jone e dashur!

I met some croatian student this summer who told me how amased they are how much we Kosovars care about our country, and how proud we are of it!

We need army... Can't wait to see our Helicopters and Airplanes flying above my head making sure we're safe.As for the economic development I believe we'll survive everything that comes after our long awaited independence. Hope kept us alive, hope goes on!

there is one small problem, where do you get the money for the army. Dont forget even if you do get the independence, you will have to build the houses for all those 200 thousand serbs you kicked out of KiM. You will have to reconstruct all of the churches you burnt. You will have to invest money so people can actually have water in their houses, and that the elctricity doesent by "accident"shut down on Serbian enclaves.

Lets also talk about the loans that Serbia paid in the name of Kosovo that have to be paid back to Serbia, and also the loans you will have to pay back to the international community.

I really cant imagine if you recieve the independence, how your small poor underdeveloped (60% unemployed, no regular electricty supply, lack of water supply)could imagine to invest money into weapons. Or are you having another startegy in mind?

Let me also remind if you get the independence, Serbia will have you under a microscope and every litle Serbian hair that falls there will be a big drama.

"Let me also remind if you get the independence, Serbia will have you under a microscope and every litle Serbian hair that falls there will be a big drama"

Yeah we know serb, you are a bunch of drama-queens...

Don't worry serb, we'll develop the country that you ravaged many times. With big loans and investments comming after independence is proclaimed, Kosova will have more than enough to support an army.

We'll have our army, and then we will se how brave the serbs will be. Or if they'll talk about "occupation" any more. It's different fighting a real army then it is fighting civilians like you are used to.

Albanians will pay the houses of "200.000" serbs and a few churches the day you pay back for 100 years of occupation, pillaging, theft, stealing minerals and destroying property. Not to mention the human suffering, for which you will also be accounted for.

I feel sorry for you, now you have nobody left to terrorize. Poor serbs! Not even your brothers (montenegrins) want to be with you any longer. That means you'll turn on each other now...

I always fight for my country, wether it's on the net, PR or financially.But unlike you chetniks, I've never been involved in mass killings of civilians. That's the only thing you know, killing innocents. I guess that is your definition of being brave...

This year when Kosova becomes independent, I'll be there to enjoy it with my people. And when we rename it Dardania, it will be even sweeter. And I will return to my ancient homecountry one day. You know the one you tried so desperately to steal.

"Lets also talk about the loans that Serbia paid in the name of Kosovo that have to be paid back to Serbia, and also the loans you will have to pay back to the international community.

I really cant imagine if you recieve the independence, how your small poor underdeveloped (60% unemployed, no regular electricty supply, lack of water supply)could imagine to invest money into weapons. Or are you having another startegy in mind?"

Can we make a rule in here? If you don't live there, don't talk about it? 60%? Don't you mean 50%? It would be say 5% if Serbia would let the privatisation happen. So with 95% working, you don't think Kosova can have an army??

I lived in Switzerland for 5 years, and know it actually very good. If you think that Swiss neutrality is protected by UN or NATO or something else.... well think again. Please read the article that follows by Eric Margolis, it explains why Swiss are who they are.

original can be found at:http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/1999/08/switzerlands_va.php

Archives > August 15, 1999

SWITZERLAND'S VALLEY OF DEATH

SARGANS, Switzerland - To the casual traveler, Sargans, a small town on Switzerland’s border with Liechtenstein and Austria, looks like just another scenic masterpiece in the world’s most beautiful country.

The bowl-shaped valley, five kms long by two kms wide, is girded by soaring cliffs and snow-capped peaks. The headwaters of the Rhine flow swiftly northwards through the narrow valley towards Lake Constance. Nearby is the home of fabled Heidi, a mecca for busloads of Japanese tourists, and further south, Chur and St. Moritz.

Sargans is the main gateway through the mountains into eastern Switzerland. Any army seeking to invade Switzerland from this quarter would quickly discover that idyllic, pastoral Sargans is also the Valley of Death.

Thanks to the Swiss General Staff, army Maj. Krebs, and my hosts from the 8th Regiment of the elite Festungswachtkorps, or fortress guard corps, I had the unique opportunity to inspect a part of the powerful fortifications defending the Sargans valley. My expertise in modern fortifications, and my schooling in Switzerland, convinced the Swiss Army to permit me a look at some of the nation’s most highly-guarded military secrets. So fanatical are the Swiss about secrecy that an officer who had been stationed in one of the forts for ten years told me he was not allowed to tell his wife where he was going each morning.

Convinced in 1940 that Hitler and Mussolini intended to invade Switzerland, the Swiss constructed the ‘national redoubt,’ a huge system of at least 70 powerful, large artillery fortresses, and thousands of smaller works, in only three years, at a cost of US $12 billion in today’s dollars. The redoubt was built in Switzerland’s Alpine uplands and high mountains, with three principal fortified zones at St. Maurice in the Valais; the St. Gothard Pass; and Sargans. It has remained a secret for 50 years.

In the event of a German-Italian invasion, Switzerland’s 800,000 citizen soldiers (out of a population of 5 million) were to abandon their families and homes, and retreat into the mountain redoubt. The rest of Europe’s professional armies might surrender to Hitler - Switzerland’s citizen-soldiers were ordered to fight to the death. There would be no surrender. General Henri Guisan commanded his troops to fight until their ammunition was exhausted, then fight with their bayonets.

On a sheer rock face overlooking the Rhine stands the mighty fortress of Tschingel, the Gibraltar of eastern Switzerland. At first, even I, a trained fortress observer, only saw a sheer cliff the height of a 20-floor floor building.

Then I finally discerned four levels of cleverly camouflaged gunports, or creneaux, behind which were long-barreled 75mm and 105mm guns, mortars, machine guns, observation posts, and huge white and infrared searchlights that could illuminate the entire valley. Like most large Swiss forts, Tschingel had a garrison of 400-500 men( but could hold up to 1,000), with supplies to last for 90-120 days of combat. Below the fort, which is reached by its own cable car, the Rhine’s banks had been mined to allow Swiss Army engineers to flood the valley of Sargans.

I visited another powerful, multi-level fort, Magletsch, dug into a mountain, and now used for training. Its three, 105mm gun turrets were disguised, a la Heidi, as small Alpine chalets. Swiss are masters of disguise. At Festung Gutsch, guardian of Gothard, the fort’s turrets are camouflaged as large boulders. At Furigen, which guards the Gothard highway at Stans, south of Lucerne, interlocking its fire with a hidden fort on the famed Mt. Rigi at Vitznau, I walked right by the fort’s trop-l’oeil creneaux without even noticing them. Similarly, all of the Swiss Air Force’s 171 combat aircraft are hidden in caves dug into mountain sides.

In 1995, the Swiss Army began decommissioning its WWII-era forts, which were increasingly costly to garrison, maintain, and heat, replacing them with more modern defenses. I was shown new, six-man ‘mini-forts,’ housing a 105mm-gun Centurion tank turret, completely hidden, but able to sweep the valley and cover the new anti-tank barrier that bars the defile.

Smaller concrete bunkers with machine guns have replaced larger works dug into the cliffs on either side of the valley. More interesting, and highly secret, however, were new twin, 120mm mortar installations buried underground on the terraced sides of the valley. Capable of rotating 360 degrees, the semiautomatic mortars can fire 20 rounds a minute, including the Swedish Stryx anti-tank round, blanketing the entire valley with deadly accurate, pre-targeted fire. The only visible portion of these mortar positions are manhole-sized thick steel covers, camouflaged by farm wagons parked on top of them.

In the heights above Sargans are 10 more major forts. Some are the new ‘Bison’ installations, such as I saw at Gothard: four, 155mm guns, capable of firing their five-clip magazines in one minute to a range of 40 kms or more, including ‘bus’ rounds carrying clouds of anti-personnel and anti-tank submunitions. The ‘Bisons’ and twin-mortars are replacing the WWII artillery forts, producing more firepower at a fraction of the cost.

Each fort is manned and protected on the exterior by units of the army’s three fortress brigades. The 400,000 -man Swiss armed forces ( recently reduced from 600,000) still relies on forts to defend strategic points, but its has adopted ‘dynamic defense’ since 1995, relying on armored brigades, equipped with 372 superb German Leopard-II tanks, and mechanized Panzer grenadiers, backed by heavy artillery.

I attended field training at Col. Rossini’s officer’s combat course at Wallenstadt, including live-fire infantry assaults and anti-tank operations. Switzerland’s male soldiers, who are better educated and more intelligent that troops in other western armies, serve annually from 20-42 years old (longer for officers). The handful of token females in service are excluded from combat and relegated to minor support roles.

Swiss citizen soldiers are highly competent, serious, deadly professional and the world’s finest marksmen. Interestingly, all Swiss soldiers keep their automatic weapons and ammunition at home. Yet Switzerland has one of the lowest murder rates anywhere.

Why does Switzerland still act as if it about to be invaded? As Machiavelli observed four centuries ago, the Swiss are ‘most armed, and most free.’

Switzerland is the world’s oldest democracy and the first nation in Europe to win freedom from feudal rule. The Swiss are fiercely independent, mistrust foreigners, and fear, with some reason, that outsiders covet their strategic nation and its vast horde of wealth. A recent torrent of false accusations that Switzerland collaborated with the Nazis, and enormous payments for World War II it is being forced to make under intense American pressure, have heightened the national sense of xenophobia.

The Swiss knew the Soviet Army planned to defeat NATO in a vast replay of the WWI Schlieffen Plan by cutting across defenseless Austria, invading Switzerland at Sargans, then advancing on a Zurich-Neuchatel-Geneva axis to erupt in east-central France near Besancon and Dijon, bypassing and outflanking NATO forces further north, then racing for Paris and the Channel. Intelligence sources in Moscow confirmed to me the existence of this breathtakingly audacious plan.

But Festung Sargans, the other Swiss forts, and a nation at arms barred the way to NATO’s vulnerable underbelly. In my view, the Red Army would have been slaughtered by the ferocious cross-fire, minefields, flooded zones, and obstacles of the Valley of Death, just as the Austrian imperial knights were in the defiles at Sempach in 1393.

Many foreigners find the Swiss mania for defense Quixotic. I do not. The Swiss, whom Hitler called ‘insolent herdesmen,’ faced down Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in military confrontation, and were ready to do battle with the armies of Stalin, who hated the Swiss for their independence and capitalist system.

Switzerland will be ready when the next threat arises. Fortress Sargans will continue its long, silent watch on the Rhine.Posted by Eric Margolis on August 15, 1999 10:16 PM

Great news, I respect KPC, and they will be a great army for our dear (soon to be independent) country - The Republic of Kosova.

To all serbs who wrote on this web page: Please accept this true fact - Serbia has lost Kosova on 1999. There is no going back.No matter what you say here will change that. We - Albanians - WON. No matter where we live, Kosova is our homeland and we always go back, to fight for it.

You can call us Siptari - who cares what a Shka says anyway...you're past, gone forever. And remember, there have been 6 years since none of you visited Kosova, and it has changed...it is developing as a state now...

Best regards to all Albanians, congratulations to KPC. To Serbs again...please accept - you are history....

What about our US Military men & women who were deployed to go babysit? They should have to stay over there even though Kosovo feels that they can take care of themselves? Is that fair to the US families? Personally I think they should take care of their own people. We shouldn't have to watch over them if they want to do it themselves.

Siptari,so now serbs are guilty because you have 60% unemployement. WOW

Serbia is more than happy to let you guys go. as a matter of fact please go! But we are not happy that you killing our copatriots lives , that you are burning our churches.

I dont understand why you insist so much to keep those Serbs in your future country. Dont you understand that through them you are tied to Serbia forever, and Serbia will always have something to hold you against.

it is a modern tendency, especially lately, that backward countries invest more in their army than to the society. I guess that Kosovo albos want to join the group of Syria, Libya, North Korea, etc. by their policies.

To the ppl of Kosovo/a, would you rather have a job to prosper or have a great army?

If I had to choose between the two: definetly economic progress ("job")! We don't really need an army, let the Serbs spend their money on military so it can intervene in poverty-induced riots, while we get rich! When you are rich and prosperous, people tend to support you in times of trouble, hell they even supported us while poor and desperate :) I am not a hippie but I disagree with the whole concept of military. If you are a small piece of shit country, you are more then likely to have a small piece of shit army - so you better not have it at all.

"Not denying what you said but Im just wondering how you came to that conclusion?"

Mir, you really are dumb. Go visit the Zastava CAR company, they are not making cars. They are making GUNS, machine guns, bullets, and maybe even KALLASHNIKOVS. When your car companies make guns, then you know you have weapons. Why do you think NATO bombed your car companies, because they were making weapons. I have a friend, he's from macedonia. And he was telling me how Serbia supplies Macedonias army with guns...do i need say more??I believe pre 1999 serbia was 3rd european country with most weapons. It's funny, UçK only has old 1980's little guns while 3rd most supplied country in europe couldn't defeat a small Liberation army of 3000-5000. Pure pathetic, and don't give me "well they hid" because their first and biggest battle "Thyrja e Kufirit" which translates the breaking of boarder [with albania] Uçk-ja won. And it was face to face, and still to this day no serbian soldiers foot has steped on that land, and they never will. It was the bond that UçK made, and...anyways I can't teach you history...too long, and too "complex" for you with our "complexities".

"Serbia is more than happy to let you guys go. as a matter of fact please go! But we are not happy that you killing our copatriots lives , that you are burning our churches."

http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=19&nav_id=33914&order=priority&style=headlinesI'm glad of what's left of the JASHARiname is doing a good job. Your peoplestill can't spell a name, amazing, and you call b92 a reliable source. That link proves that Kosovars are doing all to protect minorities, keep believing on Belgrade propaganda machines

I didn't even DENY what you said and you attacked me? I was just wondering why you came to that conclusion (i.e. you read a book about it, found website, etc.). Zastava has always been a car/gun (mainly weapon) company throughout it's history so Im not sure what you're getting at. Even recently there was a news article of the US making an order for several thousand m4-a1's through Zastava company.

"I believe pre 1999 serbia was 3rd european country with most weapons."

ONCE AGAIN, I am NOT attacking you, I just want to know why you came to that conclusion? (Is there anything official about it? Or just your Macedonian friend?) I'm interested that's all.

I don't know why Serbs jump into the conversation! Maybe they expect we should ask them on issues of national interest!!

If we'll have an army or not it's up to us the people of Dardania and not them, Serbs, in the mountains of Cer, fields of Sombor or cafees of Beligrad. I don't see any Bulgarians or Romanians getting in our business so much....who do Servs get so exited:)

Take care of your business pls, you have a country that supposrts the Radical Party, the most ultranationalist and unreformed force in europe today. Their leader Grobar is a laughingstock for the whole region.....a retrograd and a populist who hasn't done a singe good thing for Serbia besides stop the much needed reforms.

We obviously need an army but more for support in case of natural disasters. $1 million for a Tomahawk missle, come on man!

Whoever has not had enough of airplains and choppers flying low has obviously not spend enough time in Kosova before 1999!

Boy, it is nice and peaceful now, all quite; you hear nothing but Albanian and occasionally some English; just like in heaven.

As far as worrying about the Serbs, shit man they couldn't finish the job when they outgunned us like crazy. The Serbs that were crazy enough to "fight" against unarmed people are either dead or in prison; therefore I doubt will hear from them again until they ask us to pay lower taxes for the goods they sell in Kosova. With that said, if they are crazy enough to try soemthign again, in the words of George W. Bush "bring it on, biatch!"

No offence but do you know how much those things cost??? The only reason for an army is for us to spend a lot of money in that area. And guess who's going to sell us arms (helicopters, tanks, guns, munitions)?? THE GREAT COUNTRY OF THE UNITED STATES!

It's a business. At current GDP levels, Kosovans CAN'T SUSTAIN AN ARMY!

You mentioned economic development! Without investments we can't pay for the Army or any other services. With what is the Kosovan Govt going to pay for services in Kosovo/a? Lesh bethes (mispelled). Wake up!

One of the serb bloggers made a good point about smaller countries investing a lot of their resources in Military Expenditures. We as Kosovan citizens CAN'T AFFORD THAT!

Visit Prishtina you know the rail system is going to be private right? And a lot of other services will all be privatized bc the current Kosovan Govt. does not have the funding to run these services. We're moving towards a capitalistic system, not the preWAR communistic ERA!

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY SUCH THING AS "FOR NO MONEY" ANYMORE! Everything costs money!

Reality is that Kosova right now is a WELFARE STATE! Take all the ppl that live abroad and have them NOT SEND MONEY BACK to Kosovo/a for a few months (I'M INCLUDING MYSELF HERE IN THIS SCENARIO). You'll hear every single citizen complain and say that times are hard. That is the hope that Konaction was talking about. "Many relatives would have my phone and every single outsiders phone ringing at 3am in the morning saying yo we need money!" There is no Money in Kosovo/a right now! Only foreign AIDE!

The current police force can do all the things you mentioned without creating an army. In NYC where I live the NYC police Dept and Fire dept. did all that was necessary without one single reservist comming to the scene of the World Trade Center attacks. And sad to say 2 of my cousins died in that building, but we all know that even if the military had come in, there would not be a damn thing that they could of done that was better then the NYPD and FYPD! My solut to both of those Departments. And guess what they're not a military branch!

Macedonia is not a threat nor will it ever be! Serbia is but they are desperate to join the EU and the only thing we need is protecting the borders with it. Like I said before Bondsteel is not going anywhere.

The only reason to have an army is basically to get all those young ppl into boot camp for 2 years and make them bust their asses doing something, so they don't have to worry about not having a job as they do now! Only reason for it! And it makes sense from that perspective! If this is the case or plan, then an army makes sense.

I'm in Brasil right now, and the avg graduate from college here is 25-27 yrs old. The avg. graduate in the USA is 21-23 yrs old. Why the difference you might ask? In the US a degree costs a shit load of money 40k-100k dollars. So you graduate as quickly as you can to get your diploma as I did. In brasil you don't need to rush and the govt pays for everything except room and board. And if they did graduate at an earlier age the ECONOMY CANNOT ABSORB THEM INTO THE WORK FORCE!

The army will be the BUFFER for the young population and the work force. If this is the case I am for it! Otherwise it doesn't make sense!

To: anonymous

"I don't know why Serbs jump into the conversation!"

Well if you want democracy this is what your going to have to deal with on a daily basis. Freedom of speach means that a person can express their opinion freely, no matter what ethnic group, race, color, creed, age, or sex he or she belongs too, without persecution.

Sorry, but we Albanians don't tolerate freedom of speach much! There is always a fist thrown when someone's viewpoint differs from the person that throws the punch.

Great Example: In Kosovo/a during the initial attack on Iraq by Bush Sr. There was an incident where there were albanians shouting for Bush and others for Saddam Hussein. They got into a fist fight and 2 kids were cut/slashed with a blade. A lot of them hurt by fists. And that was not that long ago. My first visit to Kosovo/a. And watching kids at a high school go at it over something that didn't even affect their lives. Sad!

Democracy has many burdens and if serbs express their opinions, complexes, instigations,and hate so be it. They have every right to do so, even if I nor any other Albanian likes it or not! Its a basic principle that we must adhere to.

Serbians are more than welcomed to express their opinions here. We dont mind dissccusing, we mind being killed and terrorized.It's funny though, how time changes. Who would ever think that Serbs would ever complain about their human rights in Kosovo after slaoghtering all their neighbours.What goes around, comes around.

Hello Everybody,My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of S$250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of S$250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius,via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.